Northern Line Extension Project, London

The Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke (FLO) Joint Venture has selected the WES+ wireless re alarm system for its above ground, temporary site accommodation and Battersea shaft site, on the much-anticipated Transport for London, Northern Line Extension project.

WES+ was chosen because it is a wireless re alarm system that complies with all relevant sections of EN 54.

The 9th edition of The Joint Code of Practice (JCoP) reinforces the need for construction site re alarm
systems, including temporary accommodation units, to meet this important standard.

Version 9 of JCoP states the following: Components of automatic re-detection and alarm systems should be marked as complying with EN 54 (paragraph 13.8). JCoP is produced by the FPA (Fire Protection Association), and used by the insurance industry, simpli ng the speci cation of construction site re alarms by clarifying that the system should meet EN 54.

The site team at FLO took a lead from JCoP, which also states that temporary buildings or temporary accommodation located: inside the building under construction, inside another permanent building, or within 10m of such building(s), must be fitted with re-detection systems complying with a recognised category of installation as set out in BS 5839-1: Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings.

This means that components of automatic re-detection and alarm systems used in Temporary Accommodation Units
on construction sites should be marked as complying with EN 54.

WES+, being the only wireless re alarm system developed for construction that has been independently tested and approved to comply with all relevant sections of EN54 was, therefore, the system of choice for the FLO team.

In specifying WES+ for the Northern Line Extension development, the project team at FLO has demonstrated that it places the safety of its personnel, occupants of nearby buildings and its client’s assets above all else.

Billy Killian, Logistics Manager at FLO, Northern Line Extension project, explained: “We’d used WES+ systems on part of Crossrail and already had systems installed at the Kennington Shaft, so when it came to upgrading our systems above ground at Nine Elms and Battersea, WES+ was the obvious choice.”

“We also needed a robust and portable system that could be easily tested and added to over time; we currently have 15 WES+ units in use across the Northern Line Extension project, and plan to add at least another 15 units over the coming weeks and months.”

The WES+ fire alarm call points are fixed in the Temporary Accommodation Units in accordance with the site fire plan, creating a completely secure, wireless network. The alarm system can be manually triggered from any call point. 24/7 protection is also provided by the WES+ smoke and heat detectors, which automatically activate the system in the event of a fire.

A WES+ Base Station provides a site-wide alert across all units in the network as soon as a manual call point is pressed, or if fire is detected by the automatic heat or smoke detectors. The WES+ system uses Category 1 receivers (ETSI 300-220-1) throughout, ensuring maximum signal reliability and does not interfere with
life means the units will provide long-term operation before the need for servicing.

Paul Henson, Sales and Marketing Director at Ramtech Electronics, said “With WES+, FLO and its clients know that the complete system – and every unit in the system, including base station, fire call point or smoke and heat detection unit – have been tested to the relevant parts of EN54. Our WES+ re alarm systems has been used on Crossrail for a number of years and we are delighted that it has now been chosen for the Battersea site.”

The Northern Line Extension project is targeted for completion in 2020.

The WES fire alarm system Base Station delivers extensive system reporting and configuration functionality for the fire alarm system across your construction site.

It’s wireless and battery powered, so there’s no need for an inflexible fixed, wired control panel – the Base Station has all the reporting functionality you need combined with the mobility and reusability of the rest of the WES product range.

includes programming functions, so you can edit site name and SMS numbers directly from your Base Station.

System Log records activations and warnings, so you can monitor activity and history across your whole WES system

GSM version available, enabling up to 6 users to receive configurable SMS notifications of alarm, tamper or system faults.

Access code protection of all system settings and alarm reset for maximum accountability

Unit numbering, enabling easy identification of activated units directly from the base station

The Fire Alarm Call Point from WES is the primary alert unit in the WES wireless emergency system range. The unit incorporates fire alarm sounder, optional strobe alert, and a manual call point for activating the alarm.

Affix units around the site in accordance with your fire plan and they will create a completely secure mesh network, forming a site-wide alarm that can be manually triggered from any call point.

Integrated siren and manual call point with optional built-in strobe for high visibility

Battery life tested to 3+ years, reducing lifetime costs and need for constant replacement and improving compliance with waste regulations

Unit numbering to aid pinpointing of triggering unit in the event of an alarm. Add, remove and clone units in a few button presses

Transit mode to allow safe removal and storage without any risk of activation

The WES REACT call point features a Medical Alert features which can be raised from any Call point on site. For more information on all features of WES REACT watch the WES REACT Video.

Protect your site round the clock by adding automatic detection units to your WES fire safety solution. These battery powered detectors are easy to install, straightforward to use and can be operational within minutes.

All units both send and receive radio signals, for maximum robustness of network coverage. Since detection units are incorporated into your WES network, they will they act as an early warning of fire risk to all site staff during the working day and they’ll also make sure that the site remains protected out of hours.

If you add a GSM base station, you can even make sure that security and monitoring personnel receive a text alert if the fire alarm is automatically triggered.

The WES fire alarm Interface lets you connect your WES temporary fire alarm to other systems, such as turnstiles, so that you can ensure your emergency systems are working together as efficiently as possible to protect your site.

Input: Connect so that the WES fire alarm system can be triggered to sound the alarm by an external system

Output: Connect so that the WES system going into alarm triggers an action on the part of an external system, eg auto dialler or access control

Note that the Interface cannot be connected directly to the mains current, and you will need a suitably qualified person to wire together the units.

Most likely, you’ll never need a radio repeater unit for your WES system – each unit has excellent wireless range already. However, if you do receive a low signal warning, for example if a far-off fire point becomes more obscured as a build progresses and starts to lose signal, you can add a Link unit to boost the signal and make sure your fire alarm system continues to work optimally.

The WES fire alarm system Base Station delivers extensive system reporting and configuration functionality for the fire alarm system across your construction site.

It’s wireless and battery powered, so there’s no need for an inflexible fixed, wired control panel – the Base Station has all the reporting functionality you need combined with the mobility and reusability of the rest of the WES product range.

Includes programming functions, so you can edit site name and SMS numbers directly from your Base Station.

System Log records activations and warnings, so you can monitor activity and history across your whole WES system

GSM version available, enabling up to 6 users to receive configurable SMS notifications of alarm, tamper or system faults.

Access code protection of all system settings and alarm reset for maximum accountability

Unit numbering, enabling easy identification of activated units directly from the base station

The Fire Alarm Call Point from WES is the primary alert unit in the WES wireless emergency system range. The unit incorporates fire alarm sounder, optional strobe alert, and a manual call point for activating the alarm.

Affix units around the site in accordance with your fire plan and they will create a completely secure mesh network, forming a site-wide alarm that can be manually triggered from any call point.

Integrated siren and manual call point with optional built-in strobe for high visibility

Battery life tested to 3+ years, reducing lifetime costs and need for constant replacement and improving compliance with waste regulations

Unit numbering to aid pinpointing of triggering unit in the event of an alarm. Add, remove and clone units in a few button presses

Transit mode to allow safe removal and storage without any risk of activation

Protect your site round the clock by adding automatic detection units to your WES fire safety solution. These battery powered detectors are easy to install, straightforward to use and can be operational within minutes.

All units both send and receive radio signals, for maximum robustness of network coverage. Since detection units are incorporated into your WES network, they will they act as an early warning of fire risk to all site staff during the working day and they’ll also make sure that the site remains protected out of hours.

If you add a GSM base station, you can even make sure that security and monitoring personnel receive a text alert if the fire alarm is automatically triggered.

The WES fire alarm Interface lets you connect your WES temporary fire alarm to other systems, such as turnstiles, so that you can ensure your emergency systems are working together as efficiently as possible to protect your site.

Input: Connect so that the WES fire alarm system can be triggered to sound the alarm by an external system

Output: Connect so that the WES system going into alarm triggers an action on the part of an external system, eg auto dialler or access control

Note that the Interface cannot be connected directly to the mains current, and you will need a suitably qualified person to wire together the units.

WES+ Link Unit

The Radio Repeater Link unit is the simple, cost-effective way to extend the range of your WES temporary fire alarm system on very large-scale sites.

Simply connect to your existing WES units, set up on site and the unit will act as a relay to link geographically separated sections of the site together.

Do I need a link?

Most likely, you’ll never need a radio repeater unit for your WES system – each unit has excellent wireless range already. However, if you do receive a low signal warning, for example if a far-off fire point becomes more obscured as a build progresses and starts to lose signal, you can add a Link unit to boost the signal and make sure your fire alarm system continues to work optimally.